Aunt Aruleah's Lessons

By Sophia Brown

Ella remembers her youth, but she is not young anymore. Her desire is to go home to be with the Lord. It is her nightly prayer, yet each day she must face a world that she sees as threatening and foreign. She endures while holding onto memories of a very different time and place, wondering why the Lord has been so silent for so long. Ella believes she is faithful to the God she longs to joinuntil she discovers the true power of real faith and the Lord begins to move.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781449727239

Sophia Brown

Sophia Brown is a Bible student and avid reader of Christian literature. She hopes to develop a literary ministry that will encourage and inspire women. This is her first work of Christian fiction, completed while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing with a minor degree in Christian counseling through Liberty University. Her future plans include obtaining a master’s degree in worship studies. She currently lives and works as a registered nurse in Northern California.

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Aunt Aruleah’s Lessons

Sophia Brown

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Copyright © 2011 Sophia Brown.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2723-9 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2724-6 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011917010

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/18/2011

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

What’s in a Name?

Go Deeper

About the Author

For the strongest of women:

Beatrice, voyager through life

Dorothy, gift of God

Sharon, fertile plain

and

LaVette, cleansed

Preface

Count yourself blessed if once in a lifetime you have known a woman who lived a courageous and inspiring life. At least four times I have been blessed to know women whose faith never wavered in the face of trials, tragedy, and trauma. The first woman, at nearly one hundred years of age, maintained a clear mind and strong sense of community, having attained the status of being the maternal image for an entire community. The second, now passing through her ninth decade, has faced whatever challenges life has offered, while allowing God to use her as an instrument for blessing others. The third possessed an indomitable spirit and sound faith, which at her passing helped me to see the sovereignty of God in all things. In the few years God gave her, He permitted her to fulfill one of her many dreams while functioning as a beacon of light for every child she ever met. The last woman is the epitome of persistent faith, allowing nothing to quench the fire that God has ignited in her. With determination, her heart is set on Him.

In times of distress I have cried out to the Lord, and He has set before me these godly examples. Knowing them has helped me to find the strength in me. Loving them and having them love me has helped to nurture the faith in me. I cling to Him more closely because of the beauty of His faithfulness to these women who have been His faithful servants. Their lives are testimonies. When I would have given up, thinking about one of them would keep me going. When I was discouraged, council from another would lift me up. Whenever I succeeded, my joy was doubled or tripled, because I knew one or two of them had urged me on in the spirit.

I have often wondered what it takes to be that strong woman of God: faithful without hesitation and committed without reservation. What must it be like from the inside of such a woman as God molds her, both gently and aggressively? How does one endure life’s turmoil while remaining deeply committed and lovingly connected to God, no matter what? I dare to pursue being such a woman, following their examples.

I am thankful to God for the inspiration He has given me—both in His word and in the women He has put in my life. Each of these women has been faithful to God and to the names that He gave them. The names by which they are known among men are like promises of the kind of women they were and are. Examining their names and those of the characters in this book helped to give me a deeper appreciation for these women. The baby name websites (http://www.thinkbabynames.com and http://www.babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com) were beneficial in this process.

Finally, this book in its entirety is a work of fiction conceived in November 2010 and completed in January 2011 from the perspective of this wondrous pursuit: overcoming trial, tragedy, and uncertainty while remaining faithful and obedient to God. Any resemblance to current events is incidental.

Chapter 1

It is the most amazing thing… a miracle, really. I’m here, still here. I can feel each breath, and I know I am approaching the last, preparing to embrace eternity. My vision is dimming, but I can still see them: my spiritual children and their children and their children’s children, all around this room. KeMar and his sister Luna, their heads together, are planning as always. Sha—sad, distant, and uncertain—sits alone in a corner. Berlen and his new daughter-in-law, together with NaVee, sing softly to the children. And my precious DeTeah, my first, here by my side, stroking my brow with a cool cloth.

Lord, this is beautiful, this gift of going to the grave from the peace of a nice, warm bed… with children that I didn’t bear so near and so strong. Thank you, Lord. NaVee is coming closer and I know what she wants.

Ma, She speaks softly. Tell us again. She sits next to DeTeah and bows her head. Tell us once more about your journey… about the time when you awoke.

DeTeah, my protector, speaks